First, the not-quite successful card. I wanted to make something with the message backed by a "wash" of color and I was thinking metal leaf... but I didn't want to search out the one ink pad I have that becomes a sticky glue when heat embossed. So, maybe dry emboss an oval... but my embossing machine wouldn't let me use my embossing diffusers in the way I wanted (not wide enough), and I didn't want to make a card front ans then add it to a card base. .So maybe mask out an oval (made by tracing around the embossing diffuser?) and stamping a background and oval border using Versamark and embossing powders? Well, it was worth a try... so that's the way I went.
I pulled out a sheet of Bazzill white, cut it to size, a background stamp (Serendipity Stamps L337) for use with Ranger's Ancient Gold embossing powder ("Enchanted Gold", EGJ00730), followed by Rubber Stamp Tapestry stamps ("Periwinkle Leaves" T1S 432016-D and "Summer's Gold" SFL34064) to be used with Hampton Art embossing powder ("Gold") and Anita's embossing Powder ("Copper" 25106), respectively. Finally, I stamped the sentiment (Hero Arts "script Thinking of You" C4391) in Archival "Jet Black":
What is wrong with this card? Well, for starters, the "Enchanted Gold" was more glitter than embossing powder and blew all over the place but didn't stick to the Versamark in a lot of places, so the background looks a bit "dirty" where the Versamark was heat set sans powder. And it's awfully busy and didn't quite work with the wreath around the oval... Second, the Rubber Stamp tapestry stamps were nearly impossible to see when stamping with Versamark so, since I was stamping "blind", the arrangement of leaves and vines was a little haphazard. (although I did like the mix of "Gold" and "Copper"). And finally, "Archival "Jet Black" is a bit too stark for this card...
Oddly enough, this card looks better in the photo than in person...
So I put it away overnight, hoping that it would look better in the morning.
It didn't.
So on to plan "B". Use the same idea but simplify, use color and change out the stamp selection.
I made a wreath of autumnal leaves using Rubber Stamp Tapestry's "Leaves of Autumn" peg set and seven different inks colors. I then stamped the sentiment in Versamark and embossed it in Anita's "Copper" embossing powder. definitely cleaner; definitely simpler, and, design-wise, a lot more coherent!
Oddly enough, both versions of the card used the same sentiment stamp, a Hero Arts stamp, and Hero Arts products are the featured products for this challenge!
Products used in making these cards:
- Stamps: Hero Arts Designer Words set LL150 ("Script Thinking of You", C4391 is one of three in the set); Rubber Stamp Tapestry "Periwinkle Leaves (T1S 42016-D) and "Summer's Gold" set (SFL 34064) for card one; "Leaves of Autumn" set (SLE 18001) for card two
- Inks: Versamark and "Archival "Jet Black" for card one; Distress Inks "Vintage Photo", Old Paper". Abandoned Coral" "Fossilized Amber" and Archival "Vermilion", "Chrome Yellow" Tiger Lily" for card two
- Embossing powders: Ranger's Ancient Gold "Enchanted Gold (EGJ 00730), Hampton Art "Gold" and "Anita's "Copper" (25106) for card one; Anita's "Copper" (25106) for card two
I can see this card being made using snowflakes, flowers, Easter eggs, shamrocks, hearts... just about any small stamps that portray seasons... Swap out the colors, play a little with the embossing... Who knows, I may start searching out such possibilities in the coming weeks!